Love's Shadow
by cyberdemon
Summary: Van never thought he needed such a thing but when the woman of his dreams suddenly appears will he be willing to do anything for her or will fate leave her to another? VF. Set in Medieval times.
1. Arrival

The mountain ranges surrounding the large kingdom shot up into the sky and the trees and lakes gave the area a very majestic look to it. The water in the lakes were very clear and always swarmed with life.

In the middle of it all was a giant castle that loomed over the surrounding land and it had a peaceful village at the bottom of it. The places were simply styled but they were also very comfortable which was what the king had always strived for. He never had a wish to see his people suffer from stuff like that. So he always worked to improve the way they lived.

The land was separated in four different kingdoms. They were the north, the south, the east, and the west. He controlled over the west. This kingdom was one of the most powerful of the four.

Although each of the kingdoms was ruled by their own form of government, the kingdom of the west was the ruler over them all. Yet it never interfered unless the other lands requested it or the situation became too out of control that it required them to intervene.

The young prince of the kingdom was a man admired just as much as his father. He was always a bit of a troublemaker but the people loved him just as much as they did his father and made sure to give him all the respect he rightfully deserved.

He currently stood out on a balcony that overlooked the lands. The sun reflected off the lake and cast the country in a beautiful light. He could only just stare at it a little bored right then.

He turned around and started to walk back into the castle and into the bustle of servants. It'd been like that all day it was the only thing he could do to stay out of the way so that he wouldn't be yell at like he'd been at least three times that day.

"Van!" a very feminine voice said causing Van to turn and smile when he saw his mother. She looked him over and frowned. "You're not ready yet young man. Go and get changed because our guests will start arriving soon," Van's mother the queen Emily Flyheight said with a stern look on her face.

Van just grinned sheepishly. "I'd loved to have done it by now but I've had a hard time going anywhere today," he said but he could see the look on his mother's face that clearly said that she didn't believe him. He just sighed and gave in. "I'll go do it now," he muttered turning the other way and started to walk down the halls.

They'd been preparing for this for weeks. It was a special get together with the royal family of the north. Van felt like he just wanted to throw up every time he heard it mentioned. It just continued to get on his nerves the more and more it was talked about over the past month or two.

He never met the royal family of the north but the fuss that the servants and his parents were making was just making things so much harder on him to actually have a bit of fun. It was all work and not enough time to relax.

The royal family of the north was supposed to be coming down for a few weeks. It was later that day that they were supposed to arrive and everyone was rushing around to get every last bit of preparation completed.

They were supposed to be coming down there for some sort of marriage or something like that, Van couldn't remember exactly. Van didn't even give a care about it all. He didn't see any reason to ever have to get married except to produce an heir. It was something that both of his parents were getting on his case about since he was twenty-one and hadn't even started to look for anyone.

'You need to find someone and produce an heir to the kingdom Van,' his father continued to say over and over again. 'You need to settle down with a nice wife,' his mother continued to say. He swore that he'd go crazy if he had to listen to another one of those lectures again.

Up until then, Van didn't give a care about finding a wife and he still doesn't. There had been no women up until then that struck his interest. All the women of the royal court were trying too hard to get his attention but it only seemed to drive him away even more.

Van walked into his room and saw his formal outfit that he was supposed to wear for that night. He hated wearing stuff like that though. He always preferred a casual style and never wore anything like that unless he was forced to.

Van sat down on the bed and just stared at the outfit but didn't put it on. Instead, he laid down and stared up at the ceiling wishing that he didn't have to go through all of this. It was all a waste of time and he felt that there was no big point but his father always said that he'd realize how important stuff like this was when he became king, but he wouldn't be able to do that until he found himself a bride.

Van just sat there for a few minutes just staring up at the ceiling before his eyes started to droop and he fell asleep. He felt that there was still plenty of time until they arrived and that this nap would do him a lot of good; He didn't get much sleep the night before anyways.

* * *

The queen waited patiently with her husband for her son to come back down but she suspected from when he left that he'd probably end up falling asleep. It was something that he always did and they just got used to it happened. It didn't mean that she wouldn't give him a scolding for it later. 

"Van knows how important this is and he still doesn't seem to want to started acting his age and take some responsibility," Van's father Dan said as they waited in the main hall waiting for their guests to arrive. There was no point getting him now since he wouldn't be ready in time.

"Van will be always Van Dan. There's nothing you'll be able to change about that right now. He'll learn in time. Let him have his way for now but he'll understand eventually," Emily said as she stood next to him as they walked out in the front of the castle to await the carriages that the royal family of the north were going to coming with in just a short amount of time.

"I guess," Dan said although he wasn't really mad. He was just like Van when he was younger but came to understand his responsibility as the king as the years came to pass and he met his wife. She was probably what changed him the most. That's what he hoped for Van, that he'd find someone like that who'll be able to make him see things as they really were.

"Here they come," Emily said as she noticed several horse drawn carriages coming up the path. They were finally carved carriages and the horses pulling them were also very beautiful. Most of them were pretty large and they were ranging from the purest of white colors to the darkest of blacks.

They came up the dirt road and then came to a stop in front of the large doors to the castle. There was no movement for a few moments before the doors to the carriages opened and several figures stepped out of the three carriages.

Out of the first carriage came an elderly couple and more than likely the king and queen. The man was at least in his late fifties by then and his hair was really white and he had a small beard growing. The woman looked about the same age but she looked much younger than he actually age suggests.

Out of the second carriage came two more figures. One was very formally dressed but had slightly messy hair. He had a stern look on his face. They guessed that he was the first crowned prince. The woman that stood beside him was nothing but a servant. She had tan skin and was very cheerful looking compared to the man next to her. She looked pretty impressed by the castle.

Only one figure came out of the last carriage. He looked really upset about something but didn't say a word as he looked around the place. He didn't really looked too impressed by what he was seeing but kept his mouth shut so that he didn't upset anyone that was there.

"Greetings my old friend," Dan said walking up to the elderly looking man and shook his hand. He then gave a short hug to the woman next to him. "I suppose these are your two sons," he said as he looked over in the two boys' direction.

"Yes, the eldest one is Karl," the king named Trent said with a smile as he pointed out the first boy. "The other is my youngest son, Thomas. You haven't met him before," Trent said as he pointed towards the younger of the two who was looking around the place as if expecting someone.

Dan walked up to Karl and held out his hand. "It's nice to see you. I haven't seen you since you were just a baby," Dan said as he shook hands with the man as Karl smiled back at him and shook his hand.

"Yes, I have been looking forward to seeing this place. I've heard many rumors but they didn't do justice to how beautiful a place this is," Karl said as he admired the scenery. "Don't you agree Thomas?" Karl asked turning to his younger brother but the younger man just shrugged his shoulders.

Dan just smiled and walked over to Thomas. "It's nice to meet you Thomas. I heard that you're to be married soon. Where is your lovely bride to be?" he asked and saw Thomas's face light up at just the mention of her. He could've sworn that he saw Karl roll his eyes too.

Thomas opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by his brother. "She'll be coming soon. Took one of the horses and left earlier this morning to go on a short ride of the countryside. She originally grew up here apparently," Karl explained because he knew that Thomas would go into way too much detail about stuff and then start bragging about her.

"Sounds like my son. He too left even though he knew you were arriving. He's probably up in his room sleeping," Dan said before he turned back to the king. "Shall we go inside? I shall show all of you around why we wait for them to join us," Dan said and the other king nodded as he was led into the castle.

"That was awfully rude of you to interrupt me like that Karl," Thomas muttered to his brother as they followed the adults into the castle. "I'm perfectly able to talk for myself. I don't need you answering for me," he continued to mutter rather angrily.

"I don't think they need an hour long discussion on how perfect she is Thomas," Karl muttered wishing his brother would just drop it. He actually felt bad for her for having to put it with Thomas's nonsense. "Better hurry up or we'll be left behind," he said pulling ahead of his brother and following the adults.

Thomas sneered as he crossed his arms across his chest. "I think I'll just look around on my own thank you very much," he said before he stormed off into a different part of the castle.

"Um... Thomas just stormed off," Karl informed his parents since he wasn't sure if they wanted him to stay close or not. "Want me to go and bring him back?" he asked looking between them and the direction that Thomas went off in.

"Let him go. He's old enough to do what he wants," Dan said looking rather amused. He had to admit to himself though that he did find the behavior even worse than Van would normally do. "We'll just talk to him later at dinner. I suspect that's when Van will be down as well," he said leading through another passage.

* * *

Van yawned as he sat up in his bed. He turned to look out the window and groaned when he saw that by the looks of the sun, he'd been asleep for several hours. He just knew that he was going to get yelled at by his parents for missing the welcoming. He'd rather they just not came though. 

There was a very thorough pounding on the door that made Van suddenly towards it quickly. He wondered if it was his parents there to punish him. "Um… it's open," Van managed to stutter as he rubbed his eyes.

The door opened and a tall man came into the room. His hair was very messy and he had an eye patch over one of his eyes. Van always found it strange since there wasn't anything wrong with the eye in the first place. It was Van's friend Irvine and he was also general of the kingdom's army. Except for Van and his father, Irvine was the best fighter they had.

"Oh it's just you Irvine," Van groaned as he fell back onto the bed. "Let me guess, my mom sent you," he muttered as he tried his best to stifle the yawn that was threatening to come out of his mouth.

"She didn't look too happy about it Van. She'll probably go easy on you though… she always does," Irvine said holding in the smirk. He knew Van's mother never was able to stay angry at Van for long.

Van groaned as he stood up and walked over to his wardrobe. He had no reason to wear the clothes set out for him earlier now. He could at least go with something nice but less formal. "Can you tell her that I'll be down in a few?" Van asked and he heard Irvine groan.

Irvine turned and started to walk to the door. "I'm a soldier, not a servant," Irvine said but somehow he knew he'd have to do it anyways. "Hurry up because dinner's supposed to start in a few minutes," he said before he walked out the door.

Van changed into a simple, but decent in his parents standards, outfit and quickly threw his hair into it's normal style, spiky hair with a rattail in the back of his head. He then looked at himself in the mirror and thought that he's decent enough.

Van walked out of the room and turned right as he started to walk down the corridors towards the dining room. 'Might as well get this meeting over and then get back to my nap,' he thought stifling his yawn yet again as he approached the end of the hallway.

"Hey you!" a voice yelled out and Van turned around towards the source of the voice. He came face to face with a man that he'd never seen before. Van wondered if he was a new servant or something. Had to be if he was acting this rudely to him of all people. "Why hasn't my room been set up yet servant," he said since he'd just seen his room and it wasn't the way he normally liked it. It was very basic and he liked his to be an exact way.

Van raised an eyebrow at the way this man was spoken to. 'Did he just call me a servant?' Van asked himself feeling a great need to laugh. "I don't know. They were supposed to have been set up earlier," Van said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Van knew that they were all set up already. The servants were supposed to have set them up a few days ago. His parents even made him go and check to make sure earlier that day. "Look I don't know what your problem is but they are exactly how they are supposed to be mister," Van said with an amused expression as he turned around.

"Mister!" Thomas yelled finding it insulting for someone of his stature to be called mister. "Do you know who I am!" Thomas yelled but Van just shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care. "I am Thomas Richard Shubaltz! I am the prince of the northern lands and you dare insult me!"

'So this is the Shubaltz brat? I feel bad for whoever has to marry him,' Van thought feeling more amused than worried. 'I don't care who you are. You should show a little more respect to people," Van said turning around and continued to walk to the dining room.

Thomas stood there and scowled. 'How dare a servant of all people disrespect me like that! I'm going to make sure that he pays for that disrespect that he showed me. He says I need to learn respect!' he thought before he turned in another direction to head to the dining room. He'd make sure the guy was thrown out on his ass for the disrespect that he was shown.

* * *

Van meanwhile was just walking down a long corridor. He made sure that he took the longest way because he didn't want to go the same way he was sure that Thomas was about to go. It was bad enough that he was going to be staying there for the next two months. He didn't really want to put up with him when he didn't have to. 

Van turned a corner which led out to the gardens. He needed a little fresh air after that encounter and just decided to keep everyone waiting. He was highly surprised though when he saw that the garden was already occupied.

There was a woman standing in the garden. She had beautiful blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail in the back but was also short on the top. She was wearing a beautiful pink dress that made Van feel really underdressed at that moment. Her back was to him so he couldn't see her face. He was pretty sure that he'd never seen her around as well.

As if sensing his presence, the woman turned around and stared at him with probably the most beautiful crimson eyes he'd ever seen. He was definitely sure then that he'd never seen her.

"Oh pardon, me, I didn't think that anyone was going to be out here," the woman spoke bowing slightly as she looked at the man before her. He seemed to have the air of someone of importance so she was being as polite as possible. "I'll be leaving anyways," she said as she walked past him and into the castle.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Van said as he took a seat on the bench. The temperature was nice out right then and he felt like just sitting around for a few minutes before he headed into the castle for dinner.

The woman came to a stop and just sighed as she sat down on a bench a short distance away from Van. "This is a beautiful garden you have here. I've never seen such unique flowers," she complimented although she was sure that he wasn't the one that planted them.

"My mother will be pleased to hear such a compliment. She was the one that put together all that you've seen. She even managed to make a few new flowers as you can see," Van said pointing out some slightly weird colored one that were beautiful despite their strangeness.

She just looked at Van and smiled a very beautiful smile. "Then I'll have to give my compliments to her if I ever meet her," she said as she delicately held a flower that looked like a blue rose. "Such unique flowers are very beautiful," she muttered as she carefully let go of it in case she damaged it.

She suddenly stood up and Van's eyes followed her as if it was the best thing for him to do. It was almost like something would happen to him if he took his eyes off. 'What the hell is wrong with me!' he silently cursed in his mind as he shook his head to get rid of any thoughts.

She slowly turned and her dress fluttered around her for a few seconds. "I should get going to get ready or I'll be late," she muttered as she carefully walked in such smooth steps that it almost looked as if she was gliding across the floor. She then exited and disappeared from sight before Van could utter another word.

Never had Van seen someone like that before. He wondered who she could be and why he'd never seen her before that day. 'She needs to get ready? Maybe she's joining us for dinner. Who is she though?' he couldn't help but contemplate as he stood up and started to head back to his room. He had a sudden urge to look nicer.

* * *

Thomas walked quickly and angrily towards the dining hall. By the time he reached it, he managed to calm down a bit and straighten himself out. He didn't want himself to look bad in front of his parents and her. 

Thomas opened the door to the room and walked inside and saw that everyone was already there and waiting for him. "Good evening everyone," he said managing to put a smile on his face. "Sorry I'm late but there was this really rude servant that held me up," he said taking a seat in one of only three open seats. "She not here yet?" he asked taking close notice to the empty seat that was right next to him. He never did like it when she wasn't around.

"She's been here for a while. Last I saw she was wondering around the castle. Just give it a little time. The Flyheights are eager to meet her as well. She'll more than likely be coming in a few minutes," his mother said in a soft voice as she looked at her son fondly.

Thomas couldn't seem to settle down though and jumped whenever he heard the slightest movement. Then the door opened and he got all excited and scrambled to his feet and turned towards it but frowned when he saw who it was.

Thomas scowled and he grew angry at just the sight of Van. "You! You dare show up here after the way you insulted me!" Thomas yelled taking a few steps forward not realizing the looks of caution that his parents and brother were trying to give him since they actually knew who Van was.

Dan looked towards the other king who was sitting across from him. He wanted some answers as to what was going on. When he saw the kings head drop, he knew that he didn't really know either but somehow suspected something like this to happen with his son.

"Um… Thomas," Karl said as he stood up and slowly approached his brother. He would sometimes tease his brother but he didn't want him to humiliate himself with what he was about to do. "I really think that you should…"

"Shut up Karl! Don't interfere. This servant has insulted me and needs to be punished for it!" he yelled as he turned towards Van. He was still missing the looks that clearly told him to stop from everyone else in the room. "Just who do you think you are!" he yelled at Van getting right into his face.

Van just had a smug look on his face as he stared at Thomas. It was pretty clear that he still didn't know who Van was. "I think the question is who are you to ask me that?" Van decided to play around a little. It looked like a lot of fun to get on his nerves and Thomas seemed really short on them.

"I told you earlier when you insulted me! My name is Thomas Richard Shubaltz, prince of the northern kingdom. I can't believe you're still acting like this in front of our kings!" Thomas said as he turned towards Van's father. "Isn't that right your highness? You're going to punish him, right?" Thomas asked with anger flickering in his eyes.

Thomas suddenly took notice of how quiet everyone was at that moment. His parents looked a bit embarrassed and Dan and his wife were watching him with a bit of amusement. Thomas felt he might've screwed something up big-time. He noticed how the king looked and then looked towards Van and suddenly grew quite a bit paler than usual. "Y-you're…"

"The names Van Flyheight," he said with a highly amused look on his face. It was the best he could do without bursting out in laughter which he was very tempted to do. Even though Thomas was royalty as well, he was still under Van and Van knew that he just realized it.

"I… Tried to warn you," Karl muttered as he took a seat. He was hesitant to say it but didn't really look too sorry that Thomas made a fool out of himself. His brother was just far too arrogant for his own good and he was hoping this would take that down a notch or two.

A pale looking Thomas stumbled back to his seat as Van walked forward an too a seat close to his parents. "So… what's for dinner?" Van asked so casually as he looked around the table for food but he failed to see any. "Where's the food?" he asked as his stomach grumbled a bit in hunger. He'd barely eaten anything all day.

"We're waiting for one more person to arrive Van so be patient. The food will come when she gets here," Dan said as he waited but he had to admit that he was getting impatient as well and just wanted to eat.

The door finally opened a few minutes later and a woman stepped into the room. Everyone's eyes traveled towards her. They couldn't help but marvel at her. She looked like an angel as she stood there in front of them.

Van was shocked to see the woman that was in the garden earlier that day. The only difference that he could see was that she was wearing a baby blue dress instead of the pink one that she wore earlier in the day. 'Who is she?' he asked himself finding himself a little mesmerized by her.

Thomas just beamed brightly as he stood up and walked towards her. "There you are, I was wondering when I'd get to see you today," he said trying to kiss her but she just maneuvered so that it only grazed her cheek. "I'd like you all to meet my Fiancée Fiona."

* * *

Alright, I'll probably get a few death threats with that last part but trust me when i say that this is NOT a Thomas/ Fiona fic (Shudders at the mere thought of it). This is V/F like all my others. Also think that the more that you decide to review, since i know some of you read them but not review them, then I'll be able to get more of this out. I have high hopes for this so i want a lot of reviews to keep it going. 


	2. day out

Van wasn't sure what it was that he felt when he heard those words come out of Thomas's mouth. One thing was for sure though. 'How the hell did someone like him manage to snag someone like that!' he thought as he watched in shock at the two people before him.

Van wasn't sure why but he felt jealous. 'Why is that? I don't even know her,' he thought as he just kept silent. 'She's definitely quite a looker though,' he thought taking his seat and then shook his head to clear them of the thoughts he was having.

Van found himself glaring across the table as Thomas tried to sweet-talk Fiona. Van couldn't help but notice that although she looked like she was paying attention to him, that her eyes seemed much more distant than she was letting on. He always that that women who were engaged were really excited at the prospect of getting married.

"It is wonderful to be able to meet you dear," Van's mom said with a broad smile on her face. "We've heard quite a bit about you from Mr. and Mrs. Shubaltz. Tell me, what do you think of it here?" she asked as she leaned forward and rested her chin on the palms of her hands.

Fiona looked towards the older woman and smiled brightly. "The area is very beautiful. I kind of regret not being able to live her very long. I loved the unique garden you have also. Your son was kind enough to tell me a bit about it," she said finding a change of topic to be nice instead of having Thomas just talking.

Van's mother seemed surprise top hear that and turned her head in Van's direction. "You never mentioned that you met her before now," she said looking at Van with a curious stare that seemed to look deep into his mind.

Van just smirked. "I just happened to run into her on the way to dinner. She was just looking around your garden," Van explained as he watched the food coming in with much more interest. After not eating all day, he was hungrier than ever and just wanted something to eat.

Dan took some of the food and started to take decent bites out of them. He then looked at the other king. "So, how long was it that you were planning to stay again?" he asked after he swallowed a small mouthful of food.

The elderly king looked deep in thought for a few moments. "Just until the wedding I guess, which will be in about two months. We just came earlier to make sure everything was prepared on time. I hope that it won't be too much of a bother for you," he said looking at Dan curiously.

"Of course not,' Dan said with a broad smile. "Besides, it's been customary for centuries that all royal weddings in these lands to be held here. I'm looking forward to it," he said joyously before taking another bite of a delicious steak.

The man across from Dan just smiled as well and took a quick sip of wine. "Yes, I too look forward to it. I can remember when I got married as well. It was too perfect for words," he said as he looked fondly at his wife right next to him.

Dan just chuckled and took a sip of his own wine. "Yes, when my father was king, he wasn't too happy about certain aspects of that wedding but I must say that it was beautiful as well," he said placing down his cup and turned his attention back to the food before him.

"It was definitely a tragedy of his passing shortly after that. I see that these lands are in good hands under your guidance and I'm sure that your son will also be a good king in his own way," he said looking towards Van and just nodded his head.

Thomas crossed his hands across his chest and just snorted. 'I'd be a better king then,' he thought but thought it best that he kept his mouth shut so that he didn't end up making anymore of a fool of himself than he already had. He still couldn't believe that he did that to the high king's son. He hoped that he wouldn't get in too much trouble for doing that.

Van continued to glance towards the blonde haired woman that was sitting just a few seats away. Up until then she'd been perfectly quiet besides when his mother asked her a question. "Why is it that you moved away from here Fiona?" he asked just figuring he could get her to start talking more. He didn't know why he asked that question in specific but it just came out of his mouth.

Fiona seemed slightly startled with his suddenly question. She looked up and saw Van looking at her and she saw that it also caught almost everyone's attention. "Well… I don't know. My parents just moved away from the area when I was still just a baby," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Thomas glared at Van carefully but then smiled. "Well I'm glad that they moved no matter what the reasons for it were. If they hadn't then I might not have been able to meet my Fiona," he said and everyone thought the smile would remain plastered to his face if he smiled any larger.

Van just rolled his eyes. He'd never let anyone see him doing something like that. "If all of you would like, I can take you all on a tour of the country side tomorrow," he said trying to get back on his parents good side for missing out of the arrival earlier that day.

"Why that's a wonderful idea," Van's mother said and looked at Van proudly. All thoughts of punishment she had just seemed to escape her at the mention of it. "Van knows the lands better than anyone. I think it would a good idea," she said smiling towards the other king and queen.

"I think it's a wonderful idea as well. All the timers that we've been here we've been stuck in the castle. It'd be wonderful to go out and see all that this place has to offer," he said and his wife nodded as well. "Are the two of you up for the ride tomorrow?" he asked looking towards Thomas and Fiona.

Thomas opened his mouth as if to decline the offer but then the woman next to him spoke. "I'd love to go. It'll be nice to see more of these beautiful lands," she said with a bright smile at the thought of it. She'd be staying here for the next two months so she thought it would be a good idea.

Thomas immediately brightened up as well. "I perfectly agree with Fiona. I say we all get up bright and early to get started," he muttered and then he wasn't sure but he could've sworn he heard the words, "You would," come out of his brother's mouth.

"I guess it's settled then. You'll start out bright and early for a tour that Van will take you on," Dan said before another thought came to mind. "I'm sure your horses are still tired so I'll lend you some of ours. They're all great horses," Dan said before he stood up. "I'm tired so I shall bid you all goodnight and recommend that you get a lot of sleep," he said before he turned and walked out of the room silently.

The room then slowly started to clear out. Van's mother followed shortly after his father, the Fiona left and Thomas followed before being warned by his parents and then went in a different direction, and then even they left. Van was the last one to leave and did it with a big yawn.

* * *

The next morning, Van was woken up by a loud pounding on his door. He looked out the window and saw that the sun was just barely rising. "Go away! Come back in a few hours and maybe I'll wake up!" he yelled to the door and he thought that the person left but then the pounding started again.

"Get up Van!" Irvine's voice yelled through the door loud enough to just about wake the entire castle. "You need to get everything ready to take them on a horseback ride through the country!" he yelled before turning and walking away. It was servant stuff, not stuff that the general of the armies should be doing.

Van groaned and rolled over dragging himself out of bed. "Why the hell did I volunteer for this?" he asked himself falling to the floor before picking himself up slowly and stumbled towards his wardrobe. "Who would even want to get up this early to go out?" he muttered pulling a casual shirt over his head.

Van yawned as he stumbled out of his room and started to walk down the halls. "Whose bright idea was it to leave at this time in the morning?" he asked himself stifling a yawn and turned a corner and just as another door opened in his path.

Fiona stepped out of the room and turned into the path of Van. "Good morning your highness," she said politely and bowed slightly before raising herself up straight again. "Where are you taking all of us today?" she asked with a calm expression on her face,

"There's no need for formalities," Van said with a kind hearted smile. "I hate them. You can just call me Van," he said taking a few steps towards her. "As for where we're all going, as soon as everyone is ready than I'm going to take everyone all over the country. We'll probably be gone most of the day," he explained looking at her intently. There was something about her that made Van feel strange.

"Oh I can't do that! It's not very proper for me to address you like that," Fiona said with a small blush on her face at the thought of it. She'd always been brought up to respect her superiors.

Van just grinned at that. "It also wouldn't be proper to disobey my family. So I order you to only call me Van," he said and nearly laughed when he saw the look of confusion that crossed her face. It looked like she wanted to say something but Van knew that she would listen.

"Um… ok… Van," she said with a small smile crossing her face. "I should get going," she said as she carefully maneuvered past Van and walked down the halls to the dining room where she was hoping for a small something to eat before they left on the small trip.

Van eyes watched her until she disappeared from view. He then shook his head rapidly trying to get rid of any thoughts he was having. 'What is it about her! I don't even know her!' he yelled in his head before he turned and started to walk in a different direction.

Van walked out of the castle and to the stables. The stable boy was new and Van still preferred to help take care of the horses when it was possible for him to get the opportunity. So he figured that he'd be able to teach the new guy a few things and just get things going a little faster.

* * *

"So you're not going to come with us old friend?" King Trent said as the small group walked towards the front doors of the castle. He had dark circles under his eyes but at the same time didn't look too tired.

"I've seen the places many times in my rule. Van is a good enough guide. I don't think you'll need many others coming along," he said as he walked next to his wife. They were the only two out of the small group of seven that weren't planning on going out on the ride.

"Pity, it would've been nice to catch up with you a bit more," he said with a frown before it turned into a bright smile. "Well I guess we can always find some other time to talk," he said as they headed out the front doors.

There standing before them had to be the most finely raised horses that anyone had ever seen. Six horses were spread out across the front of the castle. They ranged in different heights and colors. There was two simple yet beautiful brown horse, a black one which was also the tallest, one of a grayish color, one that looked almost to be pure white, and the final one and the most unique of them all was an amazing horse of a strange silverfish color.

Fiona looked over the several horses in amazement. "They're amazing. Who is it that bred all of these wonderful horses?" she asked as she slowly approached them and inspected them as if looking for any flaws that she was almost sure were non-existent on these finely bred horses.

"We have an excellent breeder here by the name of Stinger. Weird man but is great with the horses. He's good out finding new types but leaves it to us to take care of them afterwards. Probably a good idea to try and avoid him but since he had a fascinating interest in horses so we gave him the job and he's done wonders for us since," Van explained as he came out from behind the horses.

Trent slowly walked towards the silverfish one. In all of his years, he never saw a horse so unique as the one before him. "I think I'll take this one. It looks like a very reliable horse," he said starting to reach out to pat it.

Van immediately jumped forward and grabbed the king's wrist. "I'm sorry but this one's mine. It's not really too friendly with many other," Van explained as he slowly led the king backwards away from the horse. "It was hard enough for me to tame and now it won't listen to anyone else and even has a tendency to strike out from time to time," he continued his explanation.

"Oh please," Thomas snorted as he looked at the horse. "Doesn't look all that dangerous to me," he said walking forward to it. He reached a hand out and placed it on the back of the horse. "That was easy, No one here must know how to handle horses properly," he thought trying to climb on.

Van was haven't a small conversation with Trent when there was a high pitched yell followed by the loud neighing of a horse. Van turned around and saw the silver horse trying to stomp on a figure that was on the ground before it.

Van rushed forward and grabbed the horse to bring it down to the ground. "Settle down!" he yelled trying to calm down the angered horse. "Settle down Zeke!" he said sternly and was glad when the horse finally settled down but it still kept it's angry eyes on the man cowering on the ground.

Thomas's parents rushed forward and helped to pull him away from the horse he so foolishly thought he could handle. "Are you ok sweetie?" his mother asked him as she looked him over. It didn't seem too bad but he was covering his face as blood gushed out from behind his hands.

"That damn horse just busted my nose!" Thomas yelled as he was helped up by his parents. His hands were pulled away and it wasn't really the prettiest of sights to say the least. The nose was definitely broken and there was blood all over his face.

"You can't say I didn't warn you because all of you heard me," Van said as he watched Thomas intently. He never knew that someone's stupidity could reach as high as Thomas's. Even when warned he tries to do everything his own way. Van was really starting not to like Thomas even more than before.

Dan and his wife rushed after hearing the loud noises and saw the mess before them. "He tried to get on Zeke, didn't he?" Dan asked and everyone just nodded their heads and Dan sighed. "I'll take him to get it looked at. He won't be going anywhere today though. All of you had better get going. He'll just have to go another time," Dan said as he basically pushed Thomas back to the castle.

Mrs. Shubaltz looked at her husband. "Should we really go without Thomas?" she asked in a worried tone like any mother would after seeing her son get hurt in the way that Thomas did.

Mr. Shubaltz looked at his wife. "Dan will take care of Thomas. I don't see any reason not to still go," he said but also in a worried tone. "There's nothing we can do about it anyways. He'll be fine," he assured his wife as he walked over to the brown horses. He got on one of them and his wife got on the other.

"It must take a lot to tame that horse," Karl pointed out looking at Zeke before he walked over to the large black horse and climbed on top of it. "great horse that is only loyal to one master. At least you won't have to worry about it being taken by someone else," he said trotting the black horse over to his parents' horses.

"Yeah, there were quite a few times that I ended up like Thomas before I was finally able to get Zeke to listen to me. He's the best horse I know of and I wouldn't want to have any other," Van said patting Zeke affectionately.

Fiona walked over to the white horse and patted it a few times before she carefully climbed on top of it and swung her legs to one side since she was wearing a dress. "You're obviously good with horses if you're able to tame such a horse," she commented and saw him just smirk.

Van took a look up at the sky and saw that the sun had already long since risen. The fiasco took a little longer to calm down than he first thought it did. "Let's go," Van said getting Zeke started as he turned him towards the south. Everyone followed him without question as he led them towards a small town that was just outside the castle since it was their first stop.

As they entered the village about ten minutes later, everyone took notice of how lively everyone was. They were able to go about their business without having any sort of care in the world. It was a wonderful sight to see when there was always some sort of fighting happening every once in a while.

Van brought Zeke to a stop and carefully climbed off of it. "Might as well a few things up before we leave. Feel free to have a look around unless you'd rather come with me," Van said before he started to walk amongst the people who didn't seem to mind having their prince walking amongst them.

"What fine material this place sells," Fiona said coming to a stop as this small stand. She picked up a very silky blue material and felt it in her hands. She guessed that having the village be under the high kings castle made it so that they could get all sorts of things that would be hard to find elsewhere.

"You like it young lady?" the man selling the fabrics asked and Fiona just nodded her head. "I had that one specially imported. If you'd like, I can give you it for a special discount," he said and it was pretty obvious that he was just trying to flirt with her more than trying to sell her things.

"Fiona couldn't help but love the material. "Sure, I'll buy it. I don't want a discount though," she said feeling bad about getting something for cheaper just because of who she was when others had to pay full price for it.

"She'll get it later," Van said as he approached the cart. He then turned and looked at Fiona. "Be best to wait unless you want to haul it around with you all day," he explained with a smile. "Come on," he said leading her along a path as Thomas's parents followed behind them.

Van knew what that merchant was doing and he didn't know why he wanted to get her out of there as quickly as he did. "Careful about him. He'll do anything if it means that he can flirt with a pretty lady," Van said winking at Fiona which just caused her to blush slightly.

Fiona just giggled as she followed Van. Sure she was used to Thomas always complimenting her but it was something that she wasn't used to hearing from other people. She never really felt that she was all that beautiful though so it was always strange to hear it from everyone.

"Van!" a bunch of kids ran up to him happily. There were a whole group of them and they all looked really happy to see him down there. "Why haven't you come to play with us lately?" one of them asked as he held a small wooden horse in his hand.

Van smiled and kneeled down so that he was level with the kid. "I've just been really busy lately. I'll be sure to drop by if I ever find the time," Van said and the kids nodded before they ran off to play the game they were playing before the group decided to show up.

Fiona looked a little amused by what she saw. "You like to play with the village kids?" she asked with a giggle erupting in her throat. She didn't have a problem with it. She actually thought it was kind of cute that someone of Van's status would take the time to play with all the kids.

Van looked towards Fiona and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, got a problem with it?" he asked thinking that she was just making fun of him. He actually found it kind of fun to get out of the castle and just have some fun every once in a while.

Fiona waved her hands in front of her wildly. "No, of course not. It just strange to see someone of your status playing around like that. I actually think it's kinda cute," she said laughing a little before she walked on towards Thomas's parents who were looking over a small stand of figurines.

Fiona sighed. Sometimes she wished that Thomas could at least be a little more sensitive. He was always too serious. That was just one of her regrets about having to soon be married to a man like him.

Van just grinned at that statement. "I have too many responsibilities as prince that I don't get to have fun from time to time. So I just try to sneak out when I can. The kids around here can be fun to play with. Although sometimes I wish there were more people my age to talk to," Van admitted paying the man for some fruit since he didn't have the time for any food earlier that day.

Fiona was surprised that someone as nice as Van didn't have many people his age to talk to. "I'm sure there has to be people your age that you talk to," she said but he just shook his head no. "Why?" she couldn't help but ask him.

"Because I don't want to be used," Van said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I once knew someone that pretended to be my friend just so his family could get things out of my family for it. I haven't been too trusting since then," he admitted taking a bite out of a papaya he was holding in his hand.

"I guess that there are a lot of sacrifices that you have to make to be where you are. There are a lot of sacrifices that I had to make as well because of becoming Thomas's fiancée," Fiona said as a bunch of kids ran past them.

Van looked at Fiona a little confused. She almost seemed a bit sad at what she had to do. "You don't sound happy about it," he pointed out as they all turned around and started to head back to the horses. "Don't all women want to be princesses and queens?" he asked as she walked next to him.

"Some maybe, but I couldn't really give a care. Thomas is only second in line for the throne and I could care less if he gets it or not," Fiona admitted with a passive look on her face. "If I could just have a nice husband and be happy, then I'll be happy," she said as she continued to watch the children play.

That was definitely something that Van definitely think he'd hear. 'Somehow I don't think Thomas's is the type of person to give that to her. He's more the type that wants to prove himself by being king over all else,' Van thought thinking of the previous encounters her had. The guy liked to bark orders at others far too much.

The two didn't say much after that and just walked silently with Thomas's parents back towards the horses. Fiona just kept looking around at how happy all the people looked. They act so naturally even in front of their future king.

Back in the north, people will drop whatever their doing when Thomas's family shows up. She gets the feeling that Thomas enjoys it too much. She knew Karl would prefer them not to and it was somewhat the same for his parents. It was just nice to be able to see the people act in such a way.

When they got back to the horses, Fiona was surprised to see that many of the children from earlier were there and gathering around Zeke. "I thought Zeke hated for other people to get near him," she said turning to Van but was again surprised to see that there was just a smile on her face.

"Adults maybe but he seems to love it when kids play with him. Maybe it's something about the young and innocent nature of a child," Van said walking a few steps forward before coming to a stop. "Then again, that might mean that he'd let you," he said as a joke as the kids started to scatter again. He didn't mean it seriously but it was kind of fun to see Fiona's cute reaction.

Fiona just blushed and glared at Van for a second but she thought it was rather flattering for him to say that. Van points out her personality while Thomas points out her looks. 'I shouldn't be comparing the two of them. It's not proper to do that to my fiancé,' she thought as she approached her own horse.

Fiona then looked towards the silver horse and saw how happy it looked then compared to when it kicked Thomas earlier that day. Fiona didn't know why but her feet seemed to move by themselves and they directed her towards the horse.

Zeke saw the woman approaching and just watched her intently. It didn't seem to be making any move to frighten her away but then again it did that to Thomas before kicking him.

Van was having a small discussion like earlier but he saw Fiona approaching the horse. He wanted to say something but his voice seemed to get caught in his throat. It surprised him most when his usually temperamental horse just bowed it's head towards the woman as if it was actually asking her to pet him. 'I've never seen Zeke act like this before,' he thought remembering kicking Thomas. Fiona did seem like a good person though and he guessed that Zeke saw that as well.

"I'm impressed," Van said as he took a few steps towards his horse and Fiona. "I'm surprised he let you close so easily. I never could figure out what was going his mind," Van said also placing a hand on the silver horse's head.

Fiona just smiled as she smoothes out the hair on the horses back. "It's truly a remarkable horse," she said with a smile and laughed when it seemed like Zeke was really getting into it. "Except for what it did to Thomas, I see absolutely nothing wrong with it," she continued before she walked over to her own horse and climbed on.

'There's nothing wrong with him period. He just did what I wanted him to do to Thomas,' Van thought fighting back the urge to laugh as he climbed onto Zeke and rubbed the top of Zeke's head affectionately. He knew that Thomas had it coming to him. He was rude and obnoxious. "Good job," he mumbled under his breath.

They were about to start off once again but the sound of another horse made all of them stop. They all turned around to see the last of the horses they were going to use that morning coming. Yet it didn't have the expected rider on it. Instead it was another woman with tan skin and dark hair held up in small ponytails.

"It's Moonbay!" Fiona said happily when she could make out specific features. Fiona watched as she galloped up to them and brought the horse to a halt. "Where have you been Moonbay? I haven't seen you since I first got here," Fiona said sharing a brief hug with Moonbay.

"I came with the rest of them. You came late," Moonbay said with a laugh as everyone just set off. Van didn't even bother to question who she was at that moment. "If I knew all of you were going out then I would've joined along. So I slept in and you all left without me!" she said looking a little offended but everyone could see she was joking. she always was one to joke around.

"We're so sorry Moonbay. You weren't looking too good yesterday so we thought we'd just let you get some sleep," Thomas's mother said with a smile as she rode next to her husband. "If we knew you were feeling better than we would've thought to bring you along," she said with a smile as she patted the younger woman's shoulder.

"You know I like my freedom. Sitting around in carriages sucks. I have no control over what happens. I was merely bored, not sick" Moonbay said with a laugh wondering how they could've possibly mistaken it for being sick.

"If you weren't sick then where were you all day yesterday?" Thomas's father asked in a curious tone of voice. He didn't receive an answer to his question. "Moonbay," he said in a warning tone of voice. He didn't want to hear it if she was getting into trouble again but he knew he had to hear what was happening.

"It was nothing. I got lost in the castle. I was barely able to find my room and dinner was already done. I had to scrounge things from the kitchen and then somehow manage my way back to my room," she said almost as if she was trying to think fast, which wasn't normal for her.

"Whatever you say Moonbay," Fiona said with a small chuckle. It was then that they all came to the top of a huge hill and Fiona could see almost all the lands. There were several villages all spread out and many mountain ranges and lakes. The lands were truly magnificent in her opinion.

There's a mountain range about three hundred miles in that direction," Van said pointing in one direction. "Those are the borders to the southern lands. It's at least double that to the borders to the eastern lands and as you probably know, about just a little over that to the borders of your lands," Van said turning north where you couldn't even see where the borders were.

"I'll say! I thought that stupid carriage ride was going to take forever!" Moonbay said and Trent and his wife just laughed. "Why couldn't your castle have been built closer to the north?" she asked glaring at Van who just shrugged. Moonbay just rolled her eyes and grumbled to herself. She probably would've been happier walking all the way here instead of taking a carriage. At least that way she'd have a choice of what to do.

"I had no control of that," Van said before having another thought. "No one alive had any control over that," he said as he started his horse forward. "Come on. There are a lot to see and not a lot of time to see it," he said and everyone quietly followed after him a few moments later.


	3. reason

The group of five rode in silence for nearly an hour with Van only stopping for a few moments to point out certain areas before they started off again and headed even farther away from the castle. Nobody really knew where Van was taking them but he seemed confident that he knew what he was doing.

The group of five traveled through the thick forest for a few more minutes before the trees suddenly seemed to disperse and the sun shone down brightly upon the small group as they came out into a huge clearing.

"Amazing," Fiona muttered as she laid eyes upon the clearest and most beautiful lake she'd ever seen. It looked even more beautiful under the clear blue skies. Sparkling before their eyes as they quietly approached it. Van seemed to be the only one that wasn't hypnotized by it's beauty.

"It's about three to four miles across. If you look north you can just see the tip of the castle. My family likes to come down here once in a while and relax. We have a boat that can take us out onto the lake. It's truly a wonderful sigh out in the middle of the water," Van said with a bright smile and everyone just nodded their heads as they spread out to look at their surroundings.

Van walked over and sat down underneath a tree. He looked around and watched as everyone found something interesting to do. Trent took to the same thing as Van and decided to sit down and rest. Thomas's mother Sarah was kneeling at the edge of the water and staring into it, Karl was reading a book that he brought with him, and Fiona was just looking all around the place at nothing in particular.

"You look lost," Van joked while picking up a rock and threw it towards the water making it skip over the water a good distance. "Sit down and relax we don't have to leave immediately," he said relaxing a bit more while sliding down the tree more till he was flat on his back.

Trent just smiled at the young woman. "Yes Fiona. Please come and sit down. You need to relax a little more," he said patting a spot next to him. He loved the young woman his son was to marry. He was sad that she didn't seem too happy lately. He wondered why it was that way and he wished there was something he could do to make her happier.

"That's ok," Fiona said enjoying the many things that were unique to this place compared to the northern lands. Fiona then just sat down at the water's edge and placed her feet in after taking off her shoes. The water was a decent temperature and it felt nice to just soak her feet in it.

Soft steps could be heard from behind and she turned and saw Van approaching her. "Hello… Van," she said still finding it weird not to address him by his appropriate title. She figured that she'd have to get used to it though.

Van took a seat and did the same as Fiona in placing his feet in the cool water. He had to admit that it felt nice on his feet. "How do you like it here so far?" Van asked with a yawn and laid back on the soft grass.

Fiona smiled and looked up at the sky. She knew that Thomas would be jealous that she was talking to another guy but this was her time away from him so she's enjoy it. "There are so many interesting things here that you can't find up north. It's like there new things to see everywhere I turn," she said as her foot swirled the water a little.

"To tell you the truth, I've never been to your lands before. I wouldn't know the differences between the two. The way you mention it makes me curious though," Van said staring at the perfectly clear blue sky above him. "What's it like up there?" Van asked turning and looking at her closely.

"It's not really warm so we don't get the type of warm weather plants you get around here. There's no lake as big as this many just several rivers that pass near the villages. It's really peaceful there, just like here," Fiona explained getting a mental image of the place she called her home.

"Maybe someday I'll check it out. I've never been to any of the lands but these," Van said turning his attention back to the sky. He then looked towards Fiona and grinned as an idea came to him. His kicked his foot out and a small amount of water splashed on Fiona's face.

Fiona immediately wiped her face. "Van!" she yelled at him halfheartedly before she did the same thing and kicked water in his face. She had to admit that she'd never had this much fun before with someone she just met.

Van grinned and it started a bit of a water war between them. It was never enough to really get them wet but enough so that it was easy to dry off given a little bit of time. Neither of them seemed to care though.

Trent raised an eyebrow when he heard Fiona laugh. It'd been a while since he'd heard her laugh like that. "Thomas better be careful or Van will take Fiona from right under his nose," he said in a joking manner.

"It's so much fun when you're young and don't have to worry about much," Sarah said as she walked over and took a seat next to her husband. "Thomas made a good choice in choosing Fiona," she said with a smile as she watched the two of them have fun. 'But we can never make that decision for her.'

* * *

"Will you hold still!" Dr. D yelled as he was trying his best to be able to clean Thomas up. The guy was frantic and Dr. D hadn't even gotten to the painful part of trying to put his nose back in place. He was just trying to clean up the blood. It took far too long though because Thomas wasn't being very patient.

"Ouch! Stop it! That hurts!" Thomas screamed as he struggled to get free. "Are you trying to hurt me more than I already am old man!" Thomas screamed when Dr. D accidentally hit his nose a little too hard while trying to clean it up.

"That's it I had enough!" Dr. D yelled stomping hard on Thomas's foot and got a loud scream from Thomas. He took this opportunity and grabbed a hold of Thomas's nose and pushed it hard until it was back in place. This got a very girly scream to erupt from Thomas's mouth. "There!" Dr. D yelled rather exhausted as he turned and started to leave the room. "Someone bandage this guy up a bit!" he yelled before leaving.

Thomas grumbled all the time that he had this big bandage placed on him. "Stupid crazy old doctor. Doesn't know how to do it right," he said wincing whenever a little bit of pressure was placed on his nose. "Stupid horse doesn't know a good rider when it sees it," he grumbled as he left the room.

"I see Dr. D fixed up you nose up nicely," Dan said as he approached Thomas with a smile on his. "Doesn't look quite as bad as I originally thought. Many have gotten much worse punishments when trying to deal with Zeke the way you did," he said chuckling a little.

"Why the hell do you have a horse such as that? My country would never allow a horse that wild to even exist!" Thomas yelled carefully massaging his nose trying to make the pain in it go away a little faster but was only hurting it even more than he meant to.

"Zeke is loyal to Van. It is his private horse and is not meant for anyone else to ride. It judges a person's character and doesn't let anyone it doesn't trust to get near it," Dan said before grinning. "What did you do to get on it's bad side?" he asked with a bit of amusement.

"I didn't do anything to it! It just attacked me when I tried to climb on top of it!" Thomas yelled growing frustrated that no one was very sympathetic towards his situation besides his parents.

"Zeke isn't the type of horse you can just choose and then use. It's a special horse that chooses instead of being chosen. It's like putting moves on an unwilling woman, you'll end up being slapped," Dan said before he walked into his room.

Thomas just grumbled as he left for his room. He had nothing to do and the rest of them wouldn't be back till later. He didn't know where they were right then so he couldn't just go out and try to find them on his own. "This sucks," he grumbled walking into his room.

* * *

The group of five stayed by the lake enjoying the relaxation that just being near it could bring to them. Karl didn't do much but read his book, Van looked like he was about to fall asleep under the clear blue sky and gentle breeze, Thomas's parents were in a nice conversation and Fiona just wondered around the edge of the lake.

Fiona kneeled at the edge of the lake and looked at her reflection. She then looked a little farther out and thought she saw a school of fish swimming by. It was truly a spectacular sight to see.

Van sat up and watched Fiona. 'It's like she never saw anything like this before,' he thought to himself as he stood up and strolled over in Fiona's direction. "You make something as simple as the lake seem like the most fascinating thing in the world," he said making her stand up and turn towards him.

"Well when you don't see many of them then it can be," she said as she remembered what she told him earlier that day. "Is there many different fish in there?" she asked when she saw a fish jump out of the water. She saw him nod his head and wished she could get a closer view of them.

Trent heard the conversation the two of them were having and walked up to them. He saw that Fiona had a look that said she wanted to go out onto the water. "Didn't you mention that you're family had a boat?" he asked with a smile and placed a hand on Fiona's shoulder.

"Yeah," Van answered before he got what Trent was saying. "If you'd like then maybe someday I'll see about taking you out onto the lake. You'll see a lot of neat things out there that you can't see from the shore," he said and couldn't help but smile at the bright look that crossed Fiona's face.

"Really?" she asked not being able to contain the excitement that burst from her. She got even more excited when she saw Van nod his head. "If it's as beautiful as it is from here than it must be even more so out there," she said looking out into the clear blue waters.

Van chuckled at this very open display of excitement. "It'll be a bit busy for the next week or two so I don't think we can get out until then. I'm sure my parents would love to come to when we do," he said and everyone nodded their heads. "Why don't we start out again? We've stayed here for a few good hours but there's still a lot to see," he said and everyone nodded as they walked to their horses.

They traveled along the edge of the water for a while. Fiona eyes seemed trained to the water and put all her trust in her horse to make sure that she didn't get separated from the rest of them.

"Don't take this as being rude, but Thomas seems different from the rest of you," Van said catching the attention of the two older members of the group. "He seems so uptight, as if everything needs to go exactly as he wants it to," Van said and was surprised when Trent nodded his head.

"That's just the way that Thomas has always been. He feels like he has to prove himself to everyone. He's got the strange notion that he is inferior to his older brother Karl. He longs to prove that he better. We see neither as being better. Too bad we can't get Thomas to realize this," he said with a disappointed look on his face.

"As of late, it's been much worse. In our lands, there is an important law that dictates who is next in line to rule. The eldest child of the royal family is made first in line for the throne. However, unless they are married before their thirtieth birthday they can't take the throne. Karl's thirtieth birthday is in a few months and he has yet to find a bride," Sarah said looking towards her eldest son who was riding a bit farther behind the rest of them. It didn't appear as if he heard their conversation. It could also be that he just didn't want to get involved with it.

"If Thomas was to get married and Karl doesn't get married by that day, then Thomas will become the legitimate successor to our kingdom. He's determined to make that happen since he doesn't think that Karl will actually be able to get married before then since it's only three months away," Trent finished hoping that Van could understand what he was saying.

'So basically… he's using Fiona to get the throne,' Van thought to himself thinking that it didn't seem right to Fiona to get married to such a guy for such a selfish reason on his part. "So why aren't you even trying to get married?" Van yelled back to Karl who was a good twenty meters behind them.

Karl rode up so that he was finally caught up with the rest of them. "I'm a little pickier than Thomas is. He's found a great woman but didn't properly court her before he proposed. I have yet to find the person that I really want," he said simply which Van just nodded his head in agreement with.

Van looked towards Fiona who didn't seem to be properly paying attention to what they were talking about. "She doesn't take me as the type to rush into such a big decision before agreeing to such a thing," he said and she still didn't react. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking about that made her able to zone everyone's voices out.

"We too are still a bit unsure as to what he did. He'd been trying for months before then but she never agreed and then she suddenly agreed one day much to all of our surprise," Trent said looking towards the woman that was supposed to become his daughter in law.

Van looked towards Fiona again and couldn't help but wonder just what it was that Thomas could do to make him get such a woman. He then shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back ahead of him.

* * *

The group reentered the village at the base of the castle by the time that the sky was starting to turn red as the night slowly approached them. They came to a stop and decided that they would have one last look around before the headed back to the castle to call it a night.

Van got off Zeke and patted his faithful companion's nose before turning to walk into the village. The others were following shortly behind them into the still crowded streets of happy people who went about their daily tasks without worrying about the fact that their prince was in their presence, Van actually preferred it that way.

Fiona and Moonbay walked silently to several of the different stands. 'What do you think of this Fiona?" Moonbay asked holding up a mask to her face that resembled that of a cat.

"I don't see any difference from how you usually look," Fiona teased which caused Moonbay to pout. "I'm just kidding. What about this?" she responded by holding up a mask that resembled something like a demon.

There couldn't' be two more opposite things," Moonbay laughed out then spotted something that really caught her attention. "Wow!" she said picking up a necklace that looked very valuable. "This is beautiful," she said looking into the clear blue gem that sparkled under the smallest light.

"Yeah," Fiona said before remembering that she still had something to pick up since she asked the man to hold onto that beautiful fabric earlier that day. "I have to go and get something. I'll be right back," she said before walking quickly in a different direction.

It took her a few minutes before she was able to find the stand that sold the beautiful fabrics she saw. The man at the stand looked up as she approached and immediately recognized her. "Greetings my lady," he said with smile to the young woman standing before him.

"Hello. I'm just here to buy that fabric I saw earlier," she said looking around but she didn't see the beautiful blue fabric anywhere. "Where is it?" she asked hoping that something hadn't happened. She had ideas of what she wanted to do with it. Each of the ideas for the things she wanted to make were more and more beautiful with each idea she had.

The man frowned and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry my lady. A young man came by earlier and demanded it. I told him that I was holding it but he didn't care. He just took it and walked away without even paying for it," he said knowing that he spent a lot for that fabric in specific only to get nothing out of selling it.

"It's quite alright," Fiona said giving him a sympathetic smile. "I'd still like to pay for it though since that person just took it," she said taking out some money that she'd kept on her horse the entire day up until now.

"I cannot ask you to do such a thing. It's my fault for letting him get away with it! You have to make no payment if you're not getting it!" he said but he couldn't help but admire the generosity that she was showing to a merchant like him.

"No, I want to do this. You have to make a living off these fabrics to live. This could cause problems for you and you seem like such a nice person," she said placing a generous amount of money on the table as thanks for the effort that the man at least tried to make in keeping the fabric there for her.

The man was pretty much in tears at such generosity. He couldn't even get another word in before she turned to leave. He then finally managed to say something. "Wait!" He yelled making her stop and walk back to the stand. "The amount you gave me is way too much! It could buy that one plus several others," he said seeing the money just sitting there.

Fiona had a feeling that he wasn't just doing this about the amount of money. "Let's just say that I would like to see some more of these beautiful fabrics in the future," she said smiling at him but then noticed that he was looking for something.

"I have something I would like for you to have in exchange from such a generous offer. I feel like it still isn't enough to repay you but I consider it a start," he said finally finding what he was looking for. He pulled it out and walked back towards Fiona. "Here," he said holding out one of the most beautiful fabrics that Fiona had ever seen.

The fabric placed before her was a pink color. "It's specially made from far away. The quality is the best I've ever seen in my line of work. I intended to save it for a special occasion and I think this is the perfect time. It would be my honor if you would take it," he said placing it before her.

Fiona couldn't help but admire it. Her hand reached out and slid along the silky smooth feel to it. "It's beautiful," she said with a smile. "I gratefully accept it if that is what you truly desire," she said seeing how proud he looked at it.

"Of course! Not many people like you. It would be the greatest of honors if I was to give this to you," he said carefully placing it within her arms. "It looks like your companion from earlier is coming this way," he said seeing Van coming down the street.  
prince Van, it is good to see you again," he said bowing before Van.

"Easy now. You know I don't like such formalities," Van couldn't help the chuckles that escaped his mouth though. "We should start heading back Fiona. Looks like you got more than you thought," he said knowing just how high a quality that fabric really was.

'Right," Fiona said nodding to Van before turning back to the merchant. "Thank you very much," she said with a polite bow to him before turning and followed shortly after Van as he led her towards the horses once again.

They all got started back towards the castle. They all were exhausted by the time that they reached the castle but they were all amazed with what they'd seen that day. They were talking about many of the things that they'd seen over the day and how much they enjoyed it just as much.

Thomas wasn't too happy when he heard of some of the things that they'd done. He was even more pissed off when he heard how Van and Fiona talked to each other during most of the small adventure. 'How dare he make the moves on my girl!' Thomas jumped to conclusions.

"Chill out Thomas. It's only natural since the rest of us are older than the two of them. They were just enjoying talk between people that were the same age," Karl reasoned knowing that Thomas was jumping to conclusions about what had happened between Van and Fiona. He always was way too protective of Fiona making sure that she didn't get out much, always fearing that someone would take her from him.

"I bet he was trying to take her from me!" Thomas yelled storming off in the direction had gone several minutes earlier. He found Van talking with his father Dan and decided on the easy approach to this.

He waited until Van was finished talking and then approached him. "So Flyheight, I heard that you are pretty good with a sword. Is this true?" he questioned since he felt like he was one of the best swordsmen around.

Van looked at him rather suspicious for a few moments before grinning. "Yep, I was taught by my dad personally and he was the best swordsman around at one time," Van said in a proud voice. "Why? You want to challenge me?" he questioned giving Thomas a wide grin.

Thomas was glad that Van fell right into the trap he set. "That's sounds like a neat idea. Sure, why not? I haven't been able to get any practice in lately as it is," he said stretching his arms to get ready. He then left to go and grab his sword for their duel. He wanted to prove himself against the future king by beating him and showing him that he can't flirt with Fiona.

Van saw Karl approach while shaking his head. "What's going on? He just suddenly challenged me to a sword match," Van said turning and looking at the reaching form of Thomas.

"Thomas thinks you're trying to take Fiona from him. He does this all the time. He refuses to lose her to anyone even if the person he's challenging doesn't even want her," Karl explained with a sigh of exhaustion at his brother's antics. He wished Thomas would just get over his jealousy.

Van couldn't help but think that it was rather stupid for Thomas to jump to conclusions like that. 'Then again, Fiona is pretty attractive, not to mention nice,' Van thought with a laugh before going to grab his stuff. "This ought to be fun," he said out loud when he returned.

Thomas was already there waiting. Everyone else was also there because they all felt like it would be a good match to watch and enjoy. "You ready Flyheight?" Thomas asked pulling out his sword. He saw Van nod his head and grin as the two of them started to circle each other.

"How long do you think Thomas will last in this battle?" Emily asked knowing that her son wasn't someone that you should take lightly. He was just as skilled, if not more so, than his father. A man that was deemed the best in all the lands while in his prime.

Even Thomas's own parents knew that Thomas was outclassed in such a duel. They knew Van trained under his father and had his own reputation that had reached their lands long ago. "Hopefully more than a minute," she couldn't but sound doubtful about even that amount of time. "Thomas is good but he doesn't think clearly in such situations," she said hoping that she was going to be wrong.

Van remained calm while Thomas was trying to find the perfect time to attack. They weren't going for the kill but that didn't mean he had to hold back a lot, just enough to prove his point that he was better than Van.

Van managed to predict the attack very accurately. His body made so few movements but was able to par with every blow that Thomas tried to make at him. He saw Thomas swipe at him from the side but his sword was already there and waiting. "You're pretty slow," Van laughed out. "Tighten your grip unless you want to lose your sword," he continued to say as he hit Thomas's sword and nearly knocked it out of the guy's hands.

Thomas was growing really frustrated by that point. He knew Van was just toying with him and that if this had been a real battle that Van would have killed him already. "Fine then! Maybe I shouldn't hold back at all!" Thomas yelled swinging the sword with all of his strength.

Van was slightly surprised by the ferocity that Thomas was swinging his sword now. He knew he didn't have to worry all that much. 'Besides, it kind of fun to toy with this guy's mind,' he thought clashing his sword against Thomas's effectively stopping the swing very easily.

"Damn it! Quit toying with me," Thomas said swinging the sword low only to have Van jump over it with grace. He then brought it up at Van only to have it blocked yet again. 'I'm good, so why can't I even get close to hitting him?' Thomas asked himself wishing that he could at least injured Van slightly.

"As you wish," Van said stopping the sword once more. His foot came up and kicked Thomas's wrists sending the sword out of them into the air. Van easily caught it and pointed the swords in a cross pattern right next to Thomas's neck. "I believe I win," he said taking a step and threw Thomas's sword at his opponent's feet.

"Good job both of you," Dan said standing up and approached his son and Thomas. "It was a good match. You really need to calm down a little and think about your attacks. They'll become much more effective if you don't let your anger get the best of you," he said to Thomas. "And Van, you need to stop toying with your opponents. That's going to come back to get you someday," he said and Van just nodded his head.

Thomas stayed on the ground in defeat. It wasn't only that he just lost; it was that he lost in front of Fiona and his family that made it worse. It made him feel like a fool. 'I swear that before we leave that I'm going to defeat you Van," he hissed out glaring at the man that defeated him.

Van shook his head before sheathing his sword and turned to leave. "I doubt it can be done in only two months but good luck," he said actually hoping for a better opponent. He surpassed his dad, and he surprised every instructor in the lands as well as many in the other. He wanted something that would actually challenge him.

Thomas growled and punched the ground before standing up and sheathing his sword. He saw Fiona talking to Van's mother and smiled before walking over to her. "Excuse me your highness but may I please speak to Fiona?" he asked politely to save face in front of Fiona.

"Of course," she said standing up. "I actually have some business I must attend to with Dan," she said before walking out of the room with Dan following after her shortly afterwards.

Fiona looked at Thomas a little confused. "Is there something you wanted Thomas?" she asked but he didn't answer. He just held out his hand for her to take. She looked at it for a few seconds before hesitantly taking it. She felt herself being pulled in the direction of the doors. "What's going on?"

Thomas just smiled as he carefully pulled her. "I actually have a bit of a surprise for you," he said leading her in the direction of his room which made her a bit hesitant. "I went to the village earlier today and got you something," he said stopping at his door. "Just wait here," he said before walking into his room.

Fiona sighed in relief. For a while she thought he was going to drag her into his room and try to seduce her like he'd done in the past. She couldn't help but wonder what it is that he got her. Her mind then seemed to click and she became suspicious. "Oh no," she said with an annoyed sigh.

Thomas came out of his room a few moments later carrying something behind his back. "I noticed something that they were selling and I knew was perfect for you," he said pulling his gift from behind his back, and also confirming Fiona's suspicions when she saw the silky blue fabric that she intended to buy.

"I don't believe you Thomas!" she yelled at him causing him to cower back a bit. "I was already planning on getting this as it was but you just took it from that poor man. He was just doing his job! You're just lucky that I paid the man for it anyways!" she yelled approaching him and causing him to take a few steps back.

Thomas was actually a bit scared of Fiona right then. He then saw her turn and storm off without taking the fabric he got her. "What did I do wrong?" he asked looking at the cloth. He didn't see anything wrong with what he did since he was of a much higher class than a mere merchant.

He only wanted to get her something that he felt was made for a queen, a way that might make her open up to him more. Even if she agreed to marry him, he knew that she didn't actually love him. He was trying to do what he could to make her fall for him but it only seemed to get worse with his gift.

Thomas was so lost in thought that he didn't notice his brother approaching before the older man spoke. "I agree with Fiona on this Thomas. You know what she is like," he said giving his brother a bit of a warning look.

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked a bit confused. He knew that Fiona liked simple things but she even said that she was planning to get this anyways. "I was only trying to be nice and get her a gift," he said looking in the direction that Fiona left in a few moments prior.

"Thomas, you know that she is a honest person ," he said and Thomas just nodded his head. "Well I don't think she'd prefer to get a gift if it was by less than honorable means. You took it from a man just trying to make a living, and you didn't even pay for it," he said with a disappointed tone to his voice before he walked off.

Thomas watched his brother walk off with anger boiling up within him. "Is everyone against me on this!" he yelled out growing frustrated. "We're royalty, he should be happy just have one of us want his stupid fabrics!" he yelled before turning back into his room before slamming the door shut.


End file.
